We arrived in Osaka around 4:30 pm on the 3rd day. For immigration purposes, we all had to leave the ship. We decided to eat a quick dinner in the dining room and go on shore. Since it was late in the day, almost all the stores had closed. We just decided to walk the are around the port. It felt good to get off the boat. I thought this was a beautiful man-hole cover.
There was a huge ferris wheel where we docked. It was closed for rides.
This is the only picture I have of our boat.
Right at the port there was a small shopping mall. We had gone in there looking for an ATM and to use the restroom. This blog wouldn't be complete without me posting some pictures of the bathroom. I liked this idea of the little kids seat.
More controls and push buttons. There was even an intercom button for help!!
I have to say that Japan has the cleanest public bathrooms I've ever been to:) If you look at the picture on top, it shows how to sit "correctly".
After doing our business, we decided to head back to the ship and see the late show. It was a wonderful drum performance! We loved it!
Too bad the exchange rate isn't 1:1.
The next morning we hopped on a tour bus and took about an 1 1/2 hour ride to Kyoto, Japan. Our first stop was Rokuon-Ji Temple. Also known as the Golden Pavillion. This bell greeted us as we walked thru the entrance.
As we followed the path, it took us to this very serene temple.
The walls are covered with gold leaf and topped with a bronze phonex. It is one of Japan's most famous traditional masterpieces.
Now this Bonzai tree is either the oldest or the biggest in the world. I just can't remember:)
A different angle.
Katelyn by one of the waterfalls in the gardens that surround the temple.
The next stop was the Kiyomizu Temple. We had to walk up this street to get to the temples. Tourist trap?????
We had quite a few steps to climb. We didn't find out until we got to the top that there is a paved path on the outside. We definitely took that back down.
There were quite a few school groups at the temples. Devin was chosen to be interviewed by one of the boys for a school project.
View of Kyoto City. The weather was absolutely perfect!
I took a picture of the admission ticket. I thought it was so pretty:)
They love hats in Japan. This yellow hat was a good idea. I wanted to get a picture of the teachers. They had to wear a hat as part of their uniform. I never got one.
Inside the temple.
The cemetary for the monks.
In Kyoto is the location for the "Geisha" school. Our guide says there are quite a few imposters on the street. Our friend captured a picture of one with the white make up but had a costume style kimono. This kimono looks to be real but I am not sure if she is training to be a Geisha or dressed up for an important occasion.
Some detail on the temples.
The taxis look very different with their rear view mirros out in front like that. Some friends of ours found out that they aren't cheap to ride in.
The last temple of the day was Heian Shrine which was built in 1895.
The shrine is a replica of the first Imperial Palace which is also located in the city.
While at the train station, we heard that the Prince of Japan was going to be walking thru. So while we waited, I asked this woman if I could take her picture with Kate.
That is him waving, we think:)
It was our first time for all of us to ride a high-speed bullet train. It wasn't anything special other than it only took us 20 minutes to get back to Osaka!!!
On the bus ride back to the ship from the train station, Kate and I were having a good time playing with our picture in the bus driver's mirror. We were in the front seat:)
There was a huge ferris wheel where we docked. It was closed for rides.
This is the only picture I have of our boat.
Right at the port there was a small shopping mall. We had gone in there looking for an ATM and to use the restroom. This blog wouldn't be complete without me posting some pictures of the bathroom. I liked this idea of the little kids seat.
More controls and push buttons. There was even an intercom button for help!!
I have to say that Japan has the cleanest public bathrooms I've ever been to:) If you look at the picture on top, it shows how to sit "correctly".
After doing our business, we decided to head back to the ship and see the late show. It was a wonderful drum performance! We loved it!
Too bad the exchange rate isn't 1:1.
The next morning we hopped on a tour bus and took about an 1 1/2 hour ride to Kyoto, Japan. Our first stop was Rokuon-Ji Temple. Also known as the Golden Pavillion. This bell greeted us as we walked thru the entrance.
As we followed the path, it took us to this very serene temple. 
The walls are covered with gold leaf and topped with a bronze phonex. It is one of Japan's most famous traditional masterpieces. 
Now this Bonzai tree is either the oldest or the biggest in the world. I just can't remember:)
A different angle. 
Katelyn by one of the waterfalls in the gardens that surround the temple.
The next stop was the Kiyomizu Temple. We had to walk up this street to get to the temples. Tourist trap?????
We had quite a few steps to climb. We didn't find out until we got to the top that there is a paved path on the outside. We definitely took that back down.
There were quite a few school groups at the temples. Devin was chosen to be interviewed by one of the boys for a school project.
View of Kyoto City. The weather was absolutely perfect! 
I took a picture of the admission ticket. I thought it was so pretty:)
They love hats in Japan. This yellow hat was a good idea. I wanted to get a picture of the teachers. They had to wear a hat as part of their uniform. I never got one.
Inside the temple.
The cemetary for the monks.
In Kyoto is the location for the "Geisha" school. Our guide says there are quite a few imposters on the street. Our friend captured a picture of one with the white make up but had a costume style kimono. This kimono looks to be real but I am not sure if she is training to be a Geisha or dressed up for an important occasion.
Some detail on the temples.
The taxis look very different with their rear view mirros out in front like that. Some friends of ours found out that they aren't cheap to ride in.
The last temple of the day was Heian Shrine which was built in 1895.
The shrine is a replica of the first Imperial Palace which is also located in the city.
While at the train station, we heard that the Prince of Japan was going to be walking thru. So while we waited, I asked this woman if I could take her picture with Kate.
That is him waving, we think:)
It was our first time for all of us to ride a high-speed bullet train. It wasn't anything special other than it only took us 20 minutes to get back to Osaka!!!
On the bus ride back to the ship from the train station, Kate and I were having a good time playing with our picture in the bus driver's mirror. We were in the front seat:)
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